Vapor-primer for automobiles



T. J. McCARTHY.

VAPOR PRIMER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14. 1919.

1,328,089. Patented J an; 13, 1920.

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Guru/140g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. MCCARTHY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

VAPOR-PRIMER non. AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed February 14, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. MOOARTHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor-Primers for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for supplying an initial explosive mixture to the intake manifold of internal combustion engines for use in priming preparatory to starting the engine.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which will instantly create the proper explosive mixture and deliver it to the engine and which is free from complicated parts or mechanism which is liable to get out of order.

One of the greatest difliculties or annoy ances attendant upon the operation of an automobile is due to the difliculty of starting the engine. When the engine is cranked manually considerable strength is requiredin the repeated trials which are frequently required, especially in cold weather. If the automobile is equipped with an electric self starter, the additional effort required in cold weather requires an expenditure of considerable power with the resulting drain upon the storage battery. Various devices for initially priming the engine for the purpose of facilltating the starting have been proposed and some of them have appeared upon the market. Some of these are practically nothing more than atomizers which comprise a pump barrel containing a piston which is operated to first draw in a charge of gasolene and then expel it through one or more atomizing nozzles in the manifold which discharge the liquid into the manifold in the form of a fine spray. This is much more efiective than a liquid poured or dropped into the manifold as a priming agent, yet at best the fuel is only in the form of a spray or mist difiused more or less through the air which is drawn into the cylinders as the engine shaft is turned over. While, of course, this spray of finely divided fuel particles facilitates the starting of the engine to a considerable extent, yet it is not an explosive mixture per se. The purpose of my invention is not to atomize the liquid fuel or to spray the fuel into the manifold in the form of a mist so that it may be more readily taken up and distributed through the air drawn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Serial No. 277,076.

into the cylinders as the engine is cranked, but to actually vaporize the fuel by causing a stream or jetof air to impinge upon a fine jet of liquid fuel, the impact causing the liquid to be broken up into a myriad of fine particles and the air beingsupplied in the proper proportion to envelop each particle, so that the fuel is actually vaporized and a proper gaseous explosive mixture is created. When this gaseous explosive mixture is forcibly injected into the cylinders under pressure it is in the proper state to instantly explode when fired by an electric spark. a

My invention will be understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section showing the manner of attaching a priming device embodying my invention to an engine; Figs. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional views of the priming device taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4;, is a bottom plan view of the same.

The vaporizing primer comprises a mixing chamber 1, in the form of a barrel or cylinder, within which the piston 3 may be operated. The stem or piston rod 5, is slidable through the cap 9 and is provided on the outer end with a suitable handle 6. The stem may be locked in depressed position in any suitable manner, as by means of a pin 10 thereon engaging under a hook 12 on the cap. The piston should fit tightly in the barrel and may be formed of a disk of cork or other suitable material clamped between a flange 14 on the rod and a washer 15, locked by the nut 16.

As I have previously stated, I have found that it is not suflicient merely to pump a spray of atomized fuel into the engine cylinders or manifold as this is not an explosive mixture and even when it is mixed with the air which is present in the manifold, it does not constitute an eflicient mixture. To form a mixture which is inherently explosive throughout, the liquid fuel must be actually vaporized and each particle must be enveloped with the pro-per amount of air, so that each isolated particle or infinitesimal portion of the vaporized fuel will be explosive if acted upon by an electric spark.

It will be appreciated by those who are familiar with the constitution of gases and explosive mixtures that a cloud or mist of vaporized liquid fuel which is immersed, so

to speak, in a body of air does not constitute a truly explosive mixture. It is true that when a spray or mist of atomized fuel is introduced into the engine cylinder and a spark is applied, an explosion or a series of explosions may take place at a point or points within the cloud or spray if a proper amount of air is in proximity thereto, but such an explosion will be fragmentary in that it affects only a portion of the contents within the explosion chamber. It is therefore, decidedly ineflicient and as a conse quence, it is actually necessary that the engine should be cranked or turned over either manually or by means of an electric starter for a number of times until an explosion of sufficient magnitude is produced to get the engine under way,

It will now be understood what I mean by an explosive mixture, that is, one in which every portion of the gaseous mixture is in an explosive condition so that as soon as a spark is applied to any portion, the explosion will extend throughout the entire mass. In order to produce such a homogeneous gaseous body which constitutes a truly explosive mixture, I provide an apparatus in which a jet or stream of air intersects a liner jet or stream of liquid fuel, the impact causing the liquid jet to be instantly dispersed into a myriad of infinitesimal particles and the proportion of air being such that each of these minute particles will be completely enveloped by the quantity of air which is necessary to constitute an explosive mixture. It will be appreciated therefore, that this is not an atomized spray which is carried along in a current of air but is in reality a homogeneous gaseous mixture, every portion of which is an explosive constituent of the whole. My invention will only be understood and appreciated when this radical distinction is comprehended.

For the purpose of creating a homogeneous explosive gaseous mixture I provide the lower end cap 19 of the barrel 1 constituting the explosive chamber, with an inlet fuel nozzle 20 which may be connected by means of a tube 21, to any suitable part of the fuel supply system, such as to the carbureter 23, as shown in Fig. 1, or to the fuel supply pipe leading from the gasolene tank to the carbureter, to the fuel tank itself or in any other suitable manner, as will be understood. The lower end of the barrel 1 1s also provided with an air inlet nozzle 25,

to close the passages upon the downward stroke of the piston. As previously stated, when the stream of air entering through the inlet 25 impinges upon the jet of liquid fuel entering through the inlet 20, the liquid is broken up into infinitesimal particles and a spray would result. In order, therefore, to create a gaseous mixture in which each liquid particle is completely surrounded by an envelop of air bearing the. proper proportion to said liquid nucleus to constitute an explosive mixture, the whole gaseous body being substantially in a nascent state, ready to burst into instant explosion throughout its extent as soon as a spark is applied to any part of it I make the bore of the air inlet 25 larger than the bore of the fuel inlet 20 in the proper proportion to cause the stream of air to' furnish just the proportionate an'iount to each liquid particle to form the resultant gaseous explosive mixture. I am familiar with the development of the various devices which have been proposed and some of which have been placed upon the market for producing so called starting or priming mixtures, and I believe that my invention which I have just described is new in this art and constitutes an important departure from said prior references.

In order to induce. the streams or jets of air and liquid fuel through the inlet nozzles in the manner described I produce a sub-atmospheric pressure within the barrel or chamber 1 when the piston 3 is drawn upwardly and as this may be accomplished with considerable rapidity, the rarefaction thus produced in the chamber will cause the intersecting streams to enter with considerable force. IVhen the piston has been completely retracted the mixing chamber will be substantially filled with the homogeneous gaseous explosive mixture. Upon the downward stroke of the piston the gaseous mixture will be forced, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, through the out let nozzle 30 and by way'of the pipe 31. and branches 32, into the inlet manifold 34, the pressure being increased by reason of the restricted outlet passage and pipe so that it will enter, with some force or pressure into the cylinder or cylinders whose explosive chambers are in register with the engine inlet valves. The operation may be repeated in rapid succession until the desired amount of explosive mixture is present in the engine cylinders so that an explosion will be induced instantly upon the application of an electric spark. It will be observed that the ball check 36 in the outlet nozzle 30 rests against a pin 37 upon the down stroke of the piston, thereby openmg the passageway therethrough, while upon the up-stroke or suction of the piston, as shown in Fig. 2, the ball 36 will Ill) seat and close the outlet passage, operating, therefore, in just the reverse manner to the balls 26 in the inlet nozzles.

The barrel 1 is preferably secured on the instrument board 40 of the automobile in any suitable manner as by means of a flanged sleeve 41 where it is in convenient reach of the driver.

I have described in detail the particular construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, for the purpose of clearly disclosing. one embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing in any manner from the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of priming an internal combustion engine with an explosive mixture, which comprises the creation of a sub-atmospheric pressure in a: confined space or chamber, causing converging streams of air and liquid fuel to impact therein in predetermined proportions to thereby form a vaporized gaseous explosive mixture, compressing the vapor in said chamber, introducing said vapor mixture under pressure into the intake of the engine and conveying the mixture into the engine cylinders where it may be subjected to the action of electric sparks.

2. A vapor priming apparatus for internal combustion engines, comprising a mixing chamber provided with a valved air inlet and with an outlet passage, a valved fuel inlet adapted to connect said chamber with a liquid fuel supply, the bore of said inlets converging inwardly, means for causing a jet or stream of air entering through said air inletto impinge upon a jet or stream of liquid entering through said fuel inlet to thereby fill the chamber with a vaporized gaseous mixture, and means for expelling said vaporized mixture through said outlet passage into the engine intake.

3. Vapor priming apparatus for internal combustion engines, comprising a mixing chamber provided with a valved air inlet and with an outlet passage adjacent one end, a valved fuel inlet adapted to connect said chamber with a liquid fuel supply, means for simultaneously withdrawing the contained air in said chamber and causing jets of air and liquid fuel to enter through said inlets and impinge upon each other to thereby fill the chamber with a vaporized gaseous mixture and means for expelling said vaporized mixture through said outlet passage into the engine intake.

4:. Vapor priming apparatus for internal combustion engines, comprising a mixing chamber provided with a valved air inlet and with an outlet passage adjacent one end, a valved fuel inlet adapted to connect said chamber with a liquid fuel supply, a piston operable within said chamher for simultaneously withdrawing the contained air in said chamber and causing jets of air and liquid fuel to enter through said inlets and impinge upon each other to thereby fill the chamber with a vaporized gaseous mixture and then expelling said vaporized mixture through said outlet passage into the engine intake.

5. Vapor priming apparatus for internal combustion engines, comprising a mixing chamber provided at one end with a valved fuel inlet, a valved air inlet and a valved outlet passage, the valves in the inlets seating in a reverse manner to that in the outlet passage, said inlets being angularly arranged so that their axes intersect within the chamber, a piston operable within said chamber for simultaneously causing a stream of air and a jet of liquid fuel to enter through said inlets and to impinge upon each other to thereby fill the chamber with a vaporized gaseous explosive mixture, and then to expel said mixture through said outlet passage into the engine intake.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

THOMAS J. MCCARTHY. 

